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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa establishes school cardiac emergency response grant program and safety requirements
Last action · June 1, 2026: Signed by Governor . S.J. 1032 .
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What This Bill Does
Senate File 2390 establishes a competitive grant program within the Iowa Department of Education to help schools offset costs for developing and implementing cardiac emergency response plans. The measure also subjects charter and innovation zone schools to the same cardiac emergency response plan requirements as school districts, taking effect for school years beginning on or after July 1, 2027.
Schools across the state must comply with new cardiac emergency response standards, and qualifying institutions become eligible for state grant funding to offset implementation costs depending on legislative appropriations.
- Cardiac emergency response plans and automated external defibrillators in schools are intended to improve survival rates during sudden cardiac arrest events among students and staff. context
- Competitive grant programs established in state appropriations allow agencies to distribute funds based on specific criteria and application processes. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
School districts and charter schools
Schools must develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan meeting specific statutory standards and conduct annual drills and staff training.
Department of Education
The department must develop, administer, and manage the competitive grant program and its associated fund.
Emergency medical services providers
Providers must be supplied with information regarding the location and type of automated external defibrillators on school property and contacted during medical emergencies.
Key Facts
- Establishes the school health-related emergency response plan competitive grant program within the Department of Education.
- Requires charter schools and innovation zone schools to comply with cardiac emergency response plan requirements in the same manner as school districts.
- Mandates that cardiac emergency response plans include a response team, placement of automated external defibrillators reachable within three minutes, routine equipment maintenance, and routine notification of local emergency medical services.
- Requires schools to provide ongoing training and certification in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and automated external defibrillator use for coaches, nurses, athletic trainers, and other appropriate staff.
Show all 6 facts
- Establishes a dedicated grant program fund in the state treasury under the control of the Department of Education, with unencumbered moneys exempt from fiscal year reversion.
- Applies to school years beginning on or after July 1, 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which schools must comply with the cardiac emergency response plan requirements?
What is the timeline for compliance under this legislation?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
37 actions- Jun 1, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by Governor . S.J. 1032 .
- May 11, 2026SenateReported correctly enrolled, signed by President and Speaker, and sent to Governor. S.J. 1028 .
- May 1, 2026HouseMessage from Senate. H.J. 1070 .
- May 1, 2026SenateImmediate message. S.J. 955 .
- May 1, 2026SenateFloorPassed Senate , yeas 42, nays 0. S.J. 955 .
- May 1, 2026SenateFloorSenate concurred with S-5240 . S.J. 954 .
Show 31 earlier actions
- May 1, 2026HouseExplanation of vote. H.J. 1083 .
- Apr 30, 2026HouseMessage from House, with amendment S-5240 . S.J. 936 .
- Apr 30, 2026HouseImmediate message. H.J. 1060 .
- Apr 30, 2026HouseFloorPassed House , yeas 85, nays 0. H.J. 1053 .
- Apr 30, 2026HouseFloorAmendment H-8402 adopted, as amended. H.J. 1052 .
- Apr 30, 2026HouseFloorAmendment H-8441 to amendment H-8402 filed, adopted. H.J. 1052 .
- Apr 22, 2026HouseAmendment H-8402 filed. H.J. 987 .
- Apr 20, 2026HousePlaced on Appropriations calendar. H.J. 953 .
- Apr 16, 2026HouseCommittee vote: Yeas 21, Nays 0, Excused 4. H.J. 953 .
- Apr 16, 2026HouseCommittee report, recommending passage. H.J. 953 .
- Apr 14, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Apr 13, 2026HouseSubcommittee Meeting: 04/14/2026 8:45AM House Lounge.
- Apr 8, 2026HouseSubcommittee: Weldon, Johnson, R. and Stone. H.J. 865 .
- Apr 6, 2026HouseIntroducedRead first time, referred to Appropriations. H.J. 808 .
- Apr 1, 2026HouseMessage from Senate. H.J. 790 .
- Apr 1, 2026SenateImmediate message. S.J. 698 .
- Apr 1, 2026SenateFloorPassed Senate , yeas 45, nays 0. S.J. 698 .
- Mar 24, 2026SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 640 .
- Mar 24, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on Appropriations calendar. S.J. 639 .
- Mar 24, 2026SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2474 . S.J. 640 .
- Feb 26, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
- Feb 25, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/26/2026 8:30AM Room 217 Conference Room.
- Feb 24, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Green, Gruenhagen, and Winckler. S.J. 393 .
- Feb 24, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Appropriations. S.J. 376 .
- Feb 19, 2026SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2390 . S.J. 332 .
- Feb 19, 2026SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 332 .
- Feb 19, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 326 .
- Feb 10, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Feb 5, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/09/2026 3:00PM Room 217 Conference Room.
- Jan 27, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Evans, Pike, and Winckler. S.J. 148 .
- Jan 22, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education. S.J. 129 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Cardiac Emergency Plans Extended to Charter Schools
The bill explicitly bridges governance gaps by applying cardiac emergency response requirements previously tailored for school districts to charter and innovation zone schools.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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